Having a personal brand is absolutely vital for real estate agents, whether newly licensed or an industry veteran. Distinctive and unique, it is defined by three key things: Who you are, who your audience is, and who your competitors are.
Defining your brand essence, or who you are, is often the hardest step—but it’s also the most important. To help some of the world’s biggest companies inform their brands, strategists look to archetypes to serve as the basis of the company’s brand identity. With this foundation in place, they’re able to build a brand that naturally inspires meaningful and lasting connection with its audience.
What are Brand Archetypes?
Brand archetypes are derived from personality archetypes developed by famous Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung. The infographic below illustrates the 12 archetypes:
Jung believed that archetypes are primal and innate, something that has been pre-programmed into our subconscious minds and DNA. They represent a core part of who you already are, as opposed to personas, which represent how you want to be perceived (we’ll cover personas in a future blog post). When leveraged properly to create your personal brand, archetypes can be a powerful tool to grow your audience and business in an organic and meaningful way.
Why Do Brand Archetypes Matter?
The most beloved brands in the world (think Apple, Disney, and Pampers) connect with their audience in an authentic way that garners loyalty and longevity. This is because humans are psychologically hardwired to perceive archetypal personalities when making sense of the world. Even if they aren’t aware of archetypes, they connect with them on an unconscious level.
Choosing an archetype and building your brand around it will help your clients form an intuitive connection with you and allow you to stand out from the competition in a memorable way.
For real estate agents, your brand archetype acts as a framework to help understand how you provide value for clients. What’s more, choosing an archetype and building your brand around it will help your clients form an intuitive connection with you and allow you to stand out from the competition in a memorable way.
The 12 Brand Archetypes for Real Estate Agents
We won’t go into each of the archetypes in detail because there are many resources you can read up on to learn more.
Instead, let’s focus on the unique superpowers of each archetype as it relates to you as a real estate agent. Which one of the archetypes below do you resonate with?
- The Creator: You are an innovator who sees the potential beyond what’s currently possible, and your clients value you because they know whatever you produce will be one of a kind, and never mediocre.
- The Sage: You are an analytical seeker of knowledge, truth, and wisdom. As such, your clients rely on you as a knowledge bank to provide them with the valuable information that they need to make decisions.
- The Caregiver: You live to give, and are known for your compassion and ability to nurture others. People are drawn to you because they feel safe around you and trust you to have their best interests at heart.
- The Innocent: You have the positive and optimistic mindset that allows you to spread joy wherever you go. Your optimism helps your clients succeed, and your ability to make the process seem like a piece of cake sets them at ease.
- The Jester: You infuse humor and a light-heartedness in all that you do, and people are drawn to your charisma like a magnet. Your gift is diffusing stressful situations and achieving goals while having fun.
- The Magician: As a visionary, you have a knack for making the impossible possible. Clients appreciate you for the magic touch you bring to make things happen.
- The Ruler: Your dominant personality and strong leadership skills makes you a force to be reckoned with. You take control, garnering the respect of your peers and competitors. With you, your clients know they are working with the best of the best.
- The Hero: Just like a superhero, you rise to the occasion and are a master of your craft. You protect and inspire your clients and ensure that together, you triumph over adversity.
- The Everyman: You are as down-to-earth, reliable, and the person next door as they come. You value hard work, authenticity and don’t pander to fads. For that, people trust you for your character and unpretentiousness.
- The Rebel: You seek to challenge the status quo and are comfortable with risk taking. You may not be for everyone, but those who follow you are fiercely loyal, and often your risks pay off considerably.
- The Explorer: An adventurer at heart, you dive into unchartered territories and carve out your own path. Because you are not one to shy away from a challenge, you are well suited for clients with unique situations – for you, it’s an adventure.
- The Lover: You are passionate about what you do and are a natural at creating connections, intimacy, and building relationships. You have a special gift of making whoever you come in contact with feel special and appreciated.
How to Use Brand Archetypes to Build your Personal Brand
When your clients interact with you or your brand, what do you want them to feel? Think about the archetypes above, and how they might inform different elements of your brand such as visual identity—think colors and logo—and tone of voice. Once established, you’ll be surprised at just how much your brand archetype comes through in everything from your marketing materials to the topics you cover in your newsletters or mailers.
So, which of these archetypes does your brand fall into? We hope you enjoy the exercise of finding out, and see business results from putting it into action.